Potions Awry
Later into the hours of darkening, Penny sat in Potions with professor Nymphadora Tonks. Little did Penny know of Tonks's history, but the woman seemed very clumsy for a potions professor, and on the few occasions during class that Professor McGonagall popped in to check on her, Professor Tonks seemed to drop whatever she was holding or break a vial nearby by spinning too quickly with her wand in her hand, the collision resulting in a mess of spilt potion.
Professor Tonks was, however, an Auror, and she knew enough about potions to teach the class on the first day about an Energizing potion..which perhaps should have waited a few years, but she was still young enough to remember the things they required students to know for the O.W.Ls in the end of their fifth year.
Penny spent part of the class slowly and carefully chopping mugwart leaves into perfect squares. That is, until Professor Tonks walked behind her and bumped her, making some of them a bit smaller than was required by the recipe. The professor didn't notice, but continued on her way about the room. She grimaced, knowing it would not come out right now. How she knew, she didn't know.
She added the mugwart and started to stir in the powdered newt. Suddenly the potion started bubbling, when on the board it said it wouldn't bubble until after she added the cocoa powder..."Professor Tonks?" she asked, and waited while the professor came around the room again, and looked over her potion, which was green, while the rest of the class's potions were a watery brown. "Well, it looks like you've finished-" but before the professor could finish, Penny interupted with "I think I cut the mugwart wrong, and now it's all funky..what?" Penny asked, "But I haven't got all of the ingredients in there"
Professor Tonks looked at her curiously, but shook her head "Alright, put some of it in a vial and clean up. No points for today Penny."
Penny's heart fell. She'd done so well in all of her other classes, how could she go wrong in potions? It was the closest thing to anything she did at home..she'd been helping in the kitchens since she was old enough to wield a ladle.
She left the class after being assigned a foot of parchment on the proper use of mugwart and the length of it's effectfulness.
Later into the hours of darkening, Penny sat in Potions with professor Nymphadora Tonks. Little did Penny know of Tonks's history, but the woman seemed very clumsy for a potions professor, and on the few occasions during class that Professor McGonagall popped in to check on her, Professor Tonks seemed to drop whatever she was holding or break a vial nearby by spinning too quickly with her wand in her hand, the collision resulting in a mess of spilt potion.
Professor Tonks was, however, an Auror, and she knew enough about potions to teach the class on the first day about an Energizing potion..which perhaps should have waited a few years, but she was still young enough to remember the things they required students to know for the O.W.Ls in the end of their fifth year.
Penny spent part of the class slowly and carefully chopping mugwart leaves into perfect squares. That is, until Professor Tonks walked behind her and bumped her, making some of them a bit smaller than was required by the recipe. The professor didn't notice, but continued on her way about the room. She grimaced, knowing it would not come out right now. How she knew, she didn't know.
She added the mugwart and started to stir in the powdered newt. Suddenly the potion started bubbling, when on the board it said it wouldn't bubble until after she added the cocoa powder..."Professor Tonks?" she asked, and waited while the professor came around the room again, and looked over her potion, which was green, while the rest of the class's potions were a watery brown. "Well, it looks like you've finished-" but before the professor could finish, Penny interupted with "I think I cut the mugwart wrong, and now it's all funky..what?" Penny asked, "But I haven't got all of the ingredients in there"
Professor Tonks looked at her curiously, but shook her head "Alright, put some of it in a vial and clean up. No points for today Penny."
Penny's heart fell. She'd done so well in all of her other classes, how could she go wrong in potions? It was the closest thing to anything she did at home..she'd been helping in the kitchens since she was old enough to wield a ladle.
She left the class after being assigned a foot of parchment on the proper use of mugwart and the length of it's effectfulness.